Good morning!
It seems easy - at least for me - to forget to be grateful for both the blessings and the challenges through which God has shaped my life.
It seems right then, that we align our perspective to one of gratitude. To praise loudly our God for our salvation through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Gratitude, it seems to me, is partly a celebration of the Light we are given as believers. So here are some thoughts about finding and celebrating with gratitude being in the Light of Christ:
Light…
Have you ever been in a place so dark, that you could not see anything at all? Where you could only hear your breathing and noises around you? Or you could touch surfaces but not see them?
Has your life ever been this dark? How did this make you feel?
I have been in that dark place where no light was shining – my fear was palatable, it paralyzed my life, it lead to bad decisions, selfish behavior, self-loathing. In those times, I couldn’t believe God loved me or that he created me – in His image - or that he gifted me and had a purpose for me and my life while in this world.
And then there came a moment in my life when the Light started leaking in – not because of my effort to seek His Light – but because He loves me and He called me. And then suddenly one day, I felt the full Light of Christ shine into my life, leaving me praising God for all He has done and filling me with gratitude for each moment, each day, each relationship (with each of you and all others) and thankful for the work He calls me to do.
Are you seeing the Light of Christ in your daily life?
Scripture has a significant number of references to light – not all relate to light and darkness as I am presenting here. However, there is an overwhelming number that point to the fact that being a believer and follower of Christ places us in His Light and removes us from darkness:
John 1:3-10 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
John 3:18-20 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
John 8:12 ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’
2 Samuel 22:29 “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light”
Psalm 4:6 ‘Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.’
Psalm 13:3-4 ‘Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”’
Psalm 18:28 “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (See also Luke 11:33-36)
Luke 8:16-17 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”
If you get a chance, go back and read the entire book of Acts. It is full of stories of the Light of the World pushing back the darkness. Acts is the story of how the Good News of the gospel, how the Light spread throughout the world and eventually reaching us today.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that when we look up, we see Your Light in those around us. And that we shine Your Light back to others as we live centered in You, Lord Jesus Christ! That in Your Perfect Light, we have gratitude even in these difficult times we live in. Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
It seems easy - at least for me - to forget to be grateful for both the blessings and the challenges through which God has shaped my life.
It seems right then, that we align our perspective to one of gratitude. To praise loudly our God for our salvation through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Gratitude, it seems to me, is partly a celebration of the Light we are given as believers. So here are some thoughts about finding and celebrating with gratitude being in the Light of Christ:
Light…
Have you ever been in a place so dark, that you could not see anything at all? Where you could only hear your breathing and noises around you? Or you could touch surfaces but not see them?
Has your life ever been this dark? How did this make you feel?
I have been in that dark place where no light was shining – my fear was palatable, it paralyzed my life, it lead to bad decisions, selfish behavior, self-loathing. In those times, I couldn’t believe God loved me or that he created me – in His image - or that he gifted me and had a purpose for me and my life while in this world.
And then there came a moment in my life when the Light started leaking in – not because of my effort to seek His Light – but because He loves me and He called me. And then suddenly one day, I felt the full Light of Christ shine into my life, leaving me praising God for all He has done and filling me with gratitude for each moment, each day, each relationship (with each of you and all others) and thankful for the work He calls me to do.
Are you seeing the Light of Christ in your daily life?
Scripture has a significant number of references to light – not all relate to light and darkness as I am presenting here. However, there is an overwhelming number that point to the fact that being a believer and follower of Christ places us in His Light and removes us from darkness:
John 1:3-10 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
John 3:18-20 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
John 8:12 ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’
2 Samuel 22:29 “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light”
Psalm 4:6 ‘Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.’
Psalm 13:3-4 ‘Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”’
Psalm 18:28 “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (See also Luke 11:33-36)
Luke 8:16-17 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”
If you get a chance, go back and read the entire book of Acts. It is full of stories of the Light of the World pushing back the darkness. Acts is the story of how the Good News of the gospel, how the Light spread throughout the world and eventually reaching us today.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that when we look up, we see Your Light in those around us. And that we shine Your Light back to others as we live centered in You, Lord Jesus Christ! That in Your Perfect Light, we have gratitude even in these difficult times we live in. Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
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